Ecolab Inc. $ECL Position Boosted by CIBC Asset Management Inc

CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 36.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 93,784 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,071 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $24,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,013,557,000 after acquiring an additional 202,449 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Ecolab by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $591,535,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:ECL opened at $254.60 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $261.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Ecolab

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.